Expert Blogs

Devastated-isimo

"I'm not devastated," he said sadly, "I'm devastated-isimo." Completely and utterly devastated.

Only two days before Saturday's 3-2 win in Valencia, Pepe had delightedly claimed to have ended the jinx of the Real Madrid centre-backs, finally bringing a close to that long list of signings who were either never fit or simply didn't cut it. Pepe did. But then the jinx hit again.

When he was carried off on a stretcher, Madrid had yet to concede; although they won the match, they conceded two without him. Both were mistakes from goalkeeper Iker Casillas but it is tempting to say that it was not entirely coincidental. Which is why Madrid fans are devastated, too.

Pepe's injury has provoked all sorts of debates about how they should best replace him. Sign another centre-back? Sign a right-sided full-back and push Sergio Ramos to centre-back? Sign a left-sided full-back and push Alvaro Arbeloa to centre-back? Force Marcelo to become a defender once more? Bring someone up from the youth team?

One thing is not up for debate: Pepe's absence is a colossal blow for Madrid. Some pundits insisted that he was the last player you would want to get injured. Better even to lose Cristiano Ronaldo than his Portugal teammate. Better to lose Xabi Alonso or Kaka or Karim Benzema.

Who is Pepe?

When Pepe joined Real Madrid for 30 million euros, most people said: "Pepe? Who the hell is Pepe?" Now most think that 30 million was money well spent; many consider him the best centre-back in the world. Even allowing for the normal exaggeration from a Madridista media, it's not an entirely absurd argument. Fast, strong and aggressive, Pepe has been hugely important.

He tends to have one mad moment a game, as he comes screeching across the turf like a motorcyclist skidding round a cinder track. And famously, he completely lost the plot last season against Getafe when he stamped on an opponent, kicked him in the back, punched another in the face and insulted the fourth official on his way off the pitch, earning himself a ten-match ban.

But his speed in covering ground - especially in coming across from centre-back to the full back positions - has meant that not only is he an impressive defender, he has also disguised the shortcomings of some of his defensive team-mates, especially full-backs Sergio Ramos and Marcelo (who has since moved into midfield). He can carry the ball out from the back (so much so that Portugal have used him as a deep midfielder) and he poses an attacking threat in the air.

Key figure for Los Blancos

The statistics from last season underline his significance.

With Pepe in the side, Madrid won 22 matches from 26 and lost just two. Pepe missed the 4-3 home defeat against Sevilla which proved to be Bernd Schuster's last game. Under his successor, Juande Ramos, the evidence is even more compelling. Pepe missed Ramos's first match - a 2-0 defeat in Barcelona - and then played fourteen games. Madrid won every single one of them, conceding just five goals. The sixth came after his sending off against Getafe.

His ten-match ban then began. Madrid won 4-2 in Sevilla. Then they lost 6-2, 3-0, 3-2, 3-1 and 2-1. One win in six vs. fourteen wins in fourteen. Nineteen conceded in six vs. six in fourteen. True, stats don't explain everything but sometimes they are not lies or damned lies. Sometimes they reveal a basic truth.